It was just the second play of the Oklahoma game and Junior
Taylor, UCLA’s top receiver, found himself limping off the
field with the help of two of his teammates.
The senior was cutting through the middle of the field only to
be dragged down by Oklahoma’s D.J. Wolfe. As he went down,
Taylor’s left knee was caught under him.
“I knew as soon as I came down it was bad,” Taylor
said.
The UCLA medical staff confirmed Taylor’s worst fears
Sept. 18 when the Bruins found out Taylor would be out for the
remainder of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee.
Through the first three games, quarterback Drew Olson has been
able to open up the passing game and find different receivers in
large part because of tight end Marcedes Lewis’ playmaking
ability. Lewis poses a mismatch for most opposing defenses, and the
double coverage he has been given has opened up passing lanes for
Olson and the rest of the receiving corps.
Taylor had been the primary benefactor of that. He had been
taking advantage of the man-to-man coverage he was facing, but with
his injury, someone else will need to fill the void.
“We just have to step up in his absence,” tight end
Marcedes Lewis said. “We did it (on Saturday), and we can
continue to do it the rest of the season.”
If their offensive production against the Sooners was any
indication, the Bruins have reason to believe they can cope with
the loss of Taylor. On Sept. 17, Olson utilized a bevy of 10
receivers in the game en route to a season-high 314 yards,
completing 28-of-38 passes.
“I don’t think there was a step lost at all,”
Olson said. “All the guys stepped up huge and I don’t
think we lost any speed.”
Olson’s main target was sophomore Marcus Everett. Everett
stepped in and right away caught a 19-yard pass from Olson along
the right sideline just three plays after Taylor’s
injury.
Everett saw his first action since coming back from a separated
right shoulder that he endured during fall camp.
The 6-foot-1-inch, 200-pounder recorded a team and personal
career-high 66 yards on six receptions.
Everett realizes the increased role he will now have as well as
the opportunity he has been given.
“I was a little nervous because it was a big game,”
Everett said. “I knew I was going to be rotating in with
Junior, so when he went down I just knew I had to step up. It feels
great to have a big game like that.
“You know we play together as a team, we pick up for each
other. We all just knew we had to pick up the slack for
him.”
Behind Everett, the Bruins have Andrew Baumgartner and Joe
Cowan, both of whom have made impressive strides so far this
season.
Cowan finished last Saturday’s game with five receptions
for 49 yards, while Baumgartner scored his first career touchdown
with a 19-touchdown reception in the first quarter.
Both receivers will have to step up, as the Bruins now only have
one receiver, Cowan, on the depth chart who caught a touchdown pass
last season.
Baumgartner, who was a walk-on that was awarded a one-year
scholarship, picked up the slack with the loss of Taylor.
UCLA converted on a key third down when he streaked down the
middle of the field and caught a 22-yard pass which setup a
touchdown by tight end Marcedes Lewis.
“It’s a privilege and opportunity to play in a big
game like this,” Baumgartner said.
“(The receivers) just realized and remembered what Junior
taught us. We’ve learned so much from him on how to play in
big time games against big-time corners.”
With reports by Sagar Parikh, Bruin Sports senior
staff.